New intelligence reveals cryptocurrency now accounts for 20% of all payment methods offered by digital pirates, underscoring the need for global collaboration to disrupt illicit streaming networks.
AMSTERDAM – November 19, 2025 – As cryptocurrency emerges as one of the payment methods for illicit IPTV and streaming services, the audiovisual and crypto industries have united with law enforcement to strike back. A week-long international operation brought together major industry players to identify and disrupt criminal networks using digital currencies to fund piracy and launder proceeds from illegal streaming.
Led by Europol’s IPC3 Unit in collaboration with the EUIPO, the initiative was supported by the Premier League and Irdeto - representing the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) - alongside leading cryptocurrency exchanges Coinbase and Binance, and blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. Law enforcement officers from over 15 European countries took part in the coordinated “crypto sprint,” focused on tracing and dismantling financial channels that sustain digital piracy.
The initiative leveraged Chainalysis’s advanced blockchain intelligence tools to map the flow of illicit funds and reveal the networks behind criminal operations. Using Chainalysis Reactor, Irdeto investigators traced complex money-laundering patterns, uncovering links between pirate operators, payment intermediaries, and consumers of illegal content.
Maltego Graph (Desktop) was used to enable investigators to visualize the data to spotlight and identify data connections and patterns in an intuitive and holistic way.
"The intelligence shows that cryptocurrency has fast become a new payment method used by digital pirates,” said Mark Mulready, Vice President of Cyber Services at Irdeto. “This operation marks a turning point in how we combat piracy by cutting off the payment mechanisms that fuel illicit services and striking at the very heart of their business model”.
Both Coinbase and Binance acted on the intelligence from the operation. Their proactive efforts prevented further abuse of their services by users linked to piracy networks, thereby reinforcing the integrity of their platforms.
“This joint effort underscores the importance and power of public and private collaboration in tackling digital crime, which has been integral to our work at Binance,” said EMEA Head of Investigations Lilija Mazeikiene. “It also highlights how crime cannot easily hide on the blockchain, where the pseudo-anonymous nature of crypto makes illicit transactions easier to uncover than cash and other forms of payment. Digital pirates will soon realize that crypto will make it harder for them to hide.”
“We welcome opportunities to collaborate closely with law enforcement and trusted partners. Crypto leaves a visible record, and when we combine that transparency with strong compliance controls, we can disrupt criminal activity that seeks to exploit digital payments,” said Nick Wright, Manager of Global Intelligence, EMEA at Coinbase.
"Working alongside partners and leaders across the industry to uncover and visualize illicit IPTV networks of operators shows the real value of cross-sector collaboration,” said Sergio Leal, Senior Principal Subject Matter Expert at Maltego. “When technology, law enforcement, and private organizations join forces, we can solve cases faster and create a more secure society.”
“Chainalysis is honored to be a part of this powerful blueprint for tackling modern digital crime. IPTV operators turn to cryptocurrency for the same reasons legitimate users do: its speed, liquidity, and borderless nature. However, this operation demonstrates that the inherent transparency of the blockchain combined with our on-chain intelligence and decisive action from industry collaborators and law enforcement leaves nowhere for illicit funds to hide. By exposing the financial operations behind these criminal networks, this initiative has taken a great step forward in disrupting these illegal markets,” said Jonathan Levin, Co-Founder and CEO, Chainalysis.
The Cyber Patrol Results include:
This unprecedented collaboration underscores the importance of global cooperation among the audiovisual, technology, and crypto sectors. By sharing intelligence and aligning enforcement actions with Europol, EUIPO, and national authorities, the partners demonstrated how coordinated, data-driven interventions can significantly disrupt organized criminal enterprises operating in the digital space.
“Partnerships like this are essential to protecting both content creators and consumers,” said Miruna Herovanu, AAPA Executive Director. “When industries and governments collaborate, we send a clear message: piracy will not pay.”
For more information, access the Irdeto website.
The Premier League produces some of the most competitive and compelling football in the world. The League and its clubs use the power and popularity of the competition to inspire fans, communities and partners in the UK and across the world. The Premier League brings people together from all backgrounds. It is a competition for everyone, everywhere and is available to watch in 900 million homes in 189 countries.
Irdeto is a trusted partner for media and entertainment brands, guiding them through digital transformation with innovative solutions that deliver exceptional user experiences. As a global leader in digital platform security, Irdeto combines over 50 years of expertise with cutting-edge technology to protect valuable content and combat piracy. Irdeto’s comprehensive portfolio includes strategic advisory, system integration and managed services, helping customers reduce costs, accelerate time to market and drive sustainable growth. Backed by a global ecosystem of partners, Irdeto empowers customers to build secure, seamless video platforms that foster monetization and operational excellence. With Irdeto, audiences connect with confidence in a secure, future-ready world. For more information, please visit www.irdeto.com.
Crypto creates economic freedom by ensuring that people can participate fairly in the economy, and Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) is on a mission to increase economic freedom for more than 1 billion people. We’re updating the century-old financial system by providing a trusted platform that makes it easy for people and institutions to engage with crypto assets, including trading, staking, safekeeping, spending, and fast, free global transfers. We also provide critical infrastructure for onchain activity and support builders who share our vision that onchain is the new online. And together with the crypto community, we advocate for responsible rules to make the benefits of crypto available around the world.
Binance is a leading global blockchain ecosystem behind the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and registered users. Binance is trusted by more than 290 million people in 100+ countries for its industry-leading security, transparency, trading engine speed, protections for investors, and unmatched portfolio of digital asset products and offerings from trading and finance to education, research, social good, payments, institutional services, and Web3 features. Binance is devoted to building an inclusive crypto ecosystem to increase the freedom of money and financial access for people around the world with crypto as the fundamental means. For more information, visit: www.binance.com
Maltego’s all-in-one investigation platform has empowered over a million investigations worldwide since 2008, protecting communities and making the world a safer place. From Maltego Search and Graph to Monitor, Evidence, and Hunchly, the platform accelerates data collection and analysis to help solve cases faster. Headquartered in Munich, Maltego supports leading law enforcement, intelligence, financial, and private sector organizations, including the FBI, INTERPOL, and half of the DOW 30. For more, visit www.maltego.com.
Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform, making it easy to connect the movement of digital assets to real-world services. Organizations can investigate illicit activity, manage risk exposure, and develop innovative market solutions with deep blockchain data insights. Our mission is to build trust in blockchains, blending safety and security with an unwavering commitment to growth and innovation. www.chainalysis.com